


Beyond the Brave

by wrunic



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Multi, relationships and characters will be added as they appear
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-13
Updated: 2018-11-16
Packaged: 2019-06-09 21:44:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,627
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15276831
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wrunic/pseuds/wrunic
Summary: Daichi was a normal guy with a normal life, until he ends up transported to Miyagi, a land full of magic in the middle of a centuries-long war.He manages to establish a semi-normal life there too, until people start disappearing, and he gets dragged headfirst into a fight for the very existence of his new home.





	1. And so it begins

**Author's Note:**

> Well, here we are! Yet another small idea that got totally out of my control. I can't promise consistent updates after the first four chapters (which I've already written) but I have a wonderful motivator constantly asking for updates (thanks Hope) so who knows.
> 
> I apologize for the current lack of tags, but I don't want to accidentally spoil my own story, so we're just going to have to live with that for now. 
> 
> I'm a little nervous about posting this because this fandom is bigger and older than I'm used to, and I'm a little late to the party, but hey, trying new things right? 
> 
> Alrighty, that's all from me for now. Hope you enjoy!

Daichi was in a forest.

Normally, this wouldn’t be particularly noteworthy, but up until about three seconds ago he’d been running through downtown Tokyo, so the change was a bit jarring. 

He slowed to a stop, turning in a slow circle and mumbling a confused “What the hell?” under his breath.  
Even after Daichi stopped moving, his surroundings still seemed to be spinning, which he figured was probably a bad thing. Daichi leaned his weight against a nearby tree and closed his eyes. This had to be some kind of very vivid fever dream, he reasoned with himself. Or maybe he’d just zoned out _really _badly during his run and somehow ended up in the forest.  
He didn’t feel all that tired though, just dizzy.__

__“Are you alright?” came a voice from Daichi’s left._ _

__He reluctantly opened his eyes to search for the source of the voice. It turned out to be an orange-haired boy, a few years younger than Daichi, giving him a very concerned look._ _

__“Where am I?”_ _

__The concerned look vanished, immediately replaced by a sunny smile._ _

__“Karasuno territory!”_ _

__Daichi’s confusion must have shown on his face, because the boy continued, sounding slightly more unsure._ _

__“Miyagi Forest?”_ _

__That didn't sound familiar either, so Daichi shook his head, but that just started the spinning again, and darkness started to appear at the edges of his vision._ _

__“Oh gods,” the boy said, sounding slightly panicked, “you're human, aren't you?”_ _

__Daichi didn't get the chance to answer, because the darkness overtook his vision, and he dropped to the ground, unconscious.__

__***_ _

__  
_“Is he dead?!”_  
  


__Daichi recognized the voice of the boy from before. He was speaking in a whisper-shout, like he was trying to not wake someone up._ _

__“No Hinata, just unconscious.”_ _

__This voice was new, and sounded significantly more calm._ _

__“Are you _sure _?”___ _

____“Yes. Most humans pass out when they go through a portal, remember? I'm actually surprised he stayed awake long enough to talk to you. ”_ _ _ _

____The voice sounded vaguely impressed. Daichi considered opening his eyes, but he had a feeling they'd stop talking if they knew he was awake, and he wanted to learn as much as possible before then.  
The kid - Hinata, apparently - seemed harmless, and the new person seemed the same, although Daichi may have been biased. They had a very nice voice._ _ _ _

____“And you said he had no idea where he was?”_ _ _ _

____“Nope. He seemed real confused. I don't think he came through on purpose.”_ _ _ _

____On purpose? So people, from Earth, knew about this place and how to get there? Maybe someone had messed up and brought him to… wherever this was, instead of themselves. That was slightly less terrifying than the idea that he'd just been randomly vacuumed up and dropped here. Slightly._ _ _ _

____The new voice hummed pensively. “Can you head back to camp and tell them what happened? I don't want anyone to worry.”_ _ _ _

____“Are we keeping him?”_ _ _ _

____The voice laughed softly. “If he wants to stay, yes. Otherwise I'm sending him home.”_ _ _ _

____Daichi could have sobbed with relief. He had a way back, after all._ _ _ _

____“Okay!” Hinata said brightly, and the exclamation was followed by the sound of running footsteps, which eventually faded to nothing. It was quiet for a few seconds, and Daichi spent some time trying to figure out the best way to convincingly “wake up”._ _ _ _

____“You can open your eyes, you know. I won't bite.” the voice sounded vaguely amused, and Daichi felt his face heat up._ _ _ _

____He opened his eyes and smiled sheepishly at the newcomer. He looked to be around Daichi’s age, silver hair notwithstanding, and he was _pretty _, almost ethereal. He also seemed to be glowing slightly, but that was probably Daichi's brain playing tricks on him. It was a hell of a sight to wake up to.___ _ _ _

______Daichi realized that he'd been silently gaping at the poor guy for far too long, and decided to say something._ _ _ _ _ _

______“H-uh, how did you know I was awake?”_ _ _ _ _ _

______His tongue was a bit slow on the uptake, but that was a coherent sentence, so he counted it as a win, especially since it got a laugh from the pretty guy._ _ _ _ _ _

______“Well, I'd be a pretty terrible healer if I couldn't tell when someone was conscious or not. Besides, you weren't really hiding your expressions all that well.” He laughed again, probably at whatever stupid face Daichi was undoubtedly making. Then his expression turned more serious. “This probably freaked you out quite a bit, huh?”_ _ _ _ _ _

______Daichi scratched at the back of his neck in an effort to hide his embarrassment._ _ _ _ _ _

______“I mean, yeah. This isn’t exactly the kind of thing you expect to happen.”_ _ _ _ _ _

______That earned a small smile. “No, I suppose not. I’m just going to ask you a few questions, make sure everything’s in working order up here,” he said, tapping Daichi’s forehead. “Realm jumps can jumble you up a bit the first few times.”_ _ _ _ _ _

______Daichi decided, for the sake of his sanity, not to try and figure out what “realm jumps” were._ _ _ _ _ _

______“So can you tell me your name?”_ _ _ _ _ _

______“Daichi. Sawam-”_ _ _ _ _ _

______“STOP!” The as-yet-unnamed man surged forward and covered Daichi’s mouth with his hand. “Don’t say your full name,” he said quickly. “Names have power, and handing them out to just anybody is dangerous.” He glanced over his shoulder, as though checking for anyone that might have overheard, then leaned back and removed his hand from Daichi’s mouth. “Sorry, I probably should have told you that before I asked for your name…” he trailed off, thinking. “Here, I’ll make it up. One and a half names each.” He stuck out his hand, nearly jabbing Daichi in the ribs. “I’m Suga. It’s short for Sugawara, but most people don’t know that, so…” Suga trailed off, looking embarrassed._ _ _ _ _ _

______Daichi, in an effort to salvage situation, shook Suga's outstretched hand._ _ _ _ _ _

______“Nice to meet you.”_ _ _ _ _ _

______Suga beamed at him, and Daichi was pretty sure his soul left his body._ _ _ _ _ _

______“Well, you seem pretty coherent, so your brain’s probably okay.”_ _ _ _ _ _

______Dachi was relieved for all of two seconds, then: “Wait, probably?”_ _ _ _ _ _

______Suga gave him a sunny smile. “Don’t worry about it.” He got to his feet and offered Daichi a hand up. Daichi was definitely worried, but he took the offered hand anyway. “Now, let’s get you home.”_ _ _ _ _ _

______Suga started off at a brisk pace in a direction that looked, to Daichi at any rate, exactly the same as every other._ _ _ _ _ _

______“Does this happen a lot?” Daichi asked, jogging a few steps to keep up with him._ _ _ _ _ _

______“More often than you’d expect, and it’s normally pretty tough to get people back. I guess you were lucky, ‘cause the guy who runs the portals owes me a favour.”_ _ _ _ _ _

______Daichi wondered what someone who could send people into _other worlds _could possibly need help with, but he figured it would be rude to ask, so he didn’t.___ _ _ _ _ _

________“Is there anything I should know about this person before I meet them?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“Try and avoid telling him your name, any of them, you don’t want him having any more power over you than necessary. He’s also kind of a dick, so be ready for that.” Suga said, sighing profoundly and rubbing at his temples. “Most fairies are, honestly.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Okay, so there were _fairies _now. Daichi was kind of wishing he hadn’t been sober for this. But with any luck, it would all be over soon, and he could forget this ever happened. Hopefully.___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“Otherwise, you should be alright. He’s pretty hard to piss off.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Daichi nodded, not exactly reassured, but at least he was slightly more prepared._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________They walked in silence for a few minutes, until Suga came to a sudden stop in a seemingly innocuous (read: identical to every other) area. He picked up a small stone from the ground, and tossed it from hand to hand, testing the weight._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Suga sighed, like what he was about to say physically hurt him. “I call upon the guardian of the doors to this realm and others, may he deign to grace me with his presence.” He threw the rock straight up into the sky._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Daichi watched the display, feeling more confused than he had all day, which, all things considered, was quite the accomplishment._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“That should get his attention. You may want to cover your ears.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Daichi did, still confused, but he trusted Suga enough not to question the command, however strange it might be._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Suddenly, there was a loud cracking noise from above them. It was soon followed by a redheaded man with a manic grin, holding the rock that Suga had thrown. He was floating about ten feet off the ground, lounging on his side and looking very relaxed for someone who had just _materialized out of thin air _. He slipped the rock into the purple robe he was wearing, then turned red eyes on the pair beneath him.___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“Why hello, Suga dearest,” the man drawled, with a smirk that made Daichi’s skin crawl, “what’s the occasion?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“Tendou.” Suga said curtly._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“My my, someone's grouchy today!” Tendou exclaimed cheerfully. He seemed to finally notice Daichi, and his smirk went from teasing to calculating in a second. He vanished, only to reappear practically nose to nose with Daichi. “And _who _is _this _?” He asked, sounding positively delighted. “A human!” He pried Daichi's mouth open like he was inspecting his teeth, and Daichi tried desperately to catch Suga's eye so he could somehow signal that he didn't mind living the rest of his life here if it meant never having to talk to Tendou again. Before he could manage that, Tendou pulled away, and floated closer to Suga with a mock-affronted expression._____ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________“Suga, I'm shocked!” The fairy draped himself dramatically over Suga's shoulder, fanning his face with his hand. “A _mortal _. How scandalous!”___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________Suga put his head in his hands. “You're courting a human.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________Tendou rose off of him with a dismissive wave of his hand. “Semantics.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________Suga dug the heels of his hands into his eyes like he was trying to crush out a headache. “We just need a portal,” he said, his voice cracking slightly in desperation._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________“And why should I do that?” Tendou asked, sitting up straighter and fixing Suga with a calculating stare. “Portals aren't easy magic, you know. What's in it for me?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________“THIS IS YOUR JOB!”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________Tendou grinned and wagged a scolding finger at Suga. “Ah ah ah, but the term “job” implies payment, does it not?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________Daichi was beginning to wonder if Suga was ever going to bring up that favour Tendou supposedly owed him, but for all he knew, Tendou showing up at all _had _been the favour.___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________Suga took a deep breath. “Fine. Then consider this my payment for healing Ushijima last year.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________Tendou’s expression hardened. “You said you wouldn't charge for that.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________“I said I wouldn’t charge for it _then _, because you were desperate and had no other choice. If I turned you away he would have died, and I didn't want that on my conscience.”___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________“I would have figured something out eventually.” Tendou grumbled defensively._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________“You didn't know what blood was.” Suga deadpanned, and Daichi had to hold in a laugh._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________Clearly, he didn’t do very well, because Tendou’s head whipped towards him and fixed him with a milk-curdling glare. Maybe Daichi was losing his mind, but he could have sworn the temperature dropped a few degrees. The intensity of the gaze made it feel like Daichi’s entire soul was on display, and if he had been a lesser man, his legs probably would have given out from under him._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________Finally, Tendou exhaled sharply and broke off the impromptu staring contest, his face splitting into a grin._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________“Alright then, little human. Where to?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________“Tokyo.” Daichi said, hoping he sounded more confident than he felt._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________“Can't do that.” Tendou chirped with a shrug, floating slightly higher and turning in lazy circles in the air._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________“Well why not!?” Daichi asked, far louder than he intended. Panic started to rise in his throat, but he forced it down. This had been his shot to get home, he’d messed it up, and now he had to figure out how to fix it. He bowed his head, trying to hide his face while he regained his composure. “If I offended you in some way, I apologize. All I want is to go home.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________Tendou let out a bark of laughter and sank back down to eye level, lifting Daichi’s chin up with a finger. “This one’s much more polite than your usual mob, Suga.” He sighed and pulled the rock out of the folds of his robe, twirling it between his fingers. “Unfortunately, all the courtesy in the worlds can’t help you now. Someone took control of all the inter-realm portals. I can't even tell when one opens anymore, much less control them.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________“Who?” Suga asked sharply, concern clear in his voice._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________“Do you think that if I knew it would still be a problem?” Tendou asked, a wicked, mirthless grin on his face. Daichi took an involuntary step back._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________“No, I suppose not.” Suga said softly, running his hand over his face. “Thank you for your help. Give Ushijima my best.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________Tendou snorted. “You and the human should give etiquette lessons.” He turned to Daichi. “I hope you manage to get home. In the meantime, tread carefully. You picked an interesting time to visit our land.” He smiled again, toeing the line between vicious and mischievous. “Good luck.” With a snap of his fingers, he vanished, and the ground opened up beneath Daichi’s feet._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________There was barely time to register the feeling of free fall, and then Daichi was back on solid ground, in an open field with a mountain a little ways away. He figured that he’d just gone through another portal. He didn’t feel like passing out this time, which he was happy about for all of three seconds, before a wave of nausea hit him and his stomach decided to expel its contents onto the ground in front of him._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________Daichi had now officially decided that this was the worst day of his life. His stomach had nothing left to give, but the dry heaves continued until he felt a hand on his back, rubbing gentle circles. He felt warmth spread through his body, and the shaking stopped almost instantly. Daichi looked up to find Suga smiling down at him._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________“Like I said, he’s a dick.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________Daichi had to laugh at that, despite the pain it caused his throat, which was still kind of raw. He looked down at the ground again, and noticed a patch of dead grass around Suga’s feet._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________“Guess the portals don’t only do damage to me, huh?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________Suga glanced at his feet and jumped a little. “No, I suppose not…” he sounded almost wistful and Daichi wondered if he’d misspoken. But just as soon as the sadness appeared, it was gone, and Suga was beaming once more._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________“If you can joke, you can stand. It’s time for you to meet Karasuno Legion.” Suga said brightly, pulling Daichi to his feet._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________“Who?” Daichi asked, stumbling upright and taking a few steps, with Suga’s help, in the direction of the mountain._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________“My “mob” as Tendou so artfully put it.” Suga said with a light laugh. “We’re a part of the Miyagi army, and our camp is right about…” he paused as they took another few steps, “here.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________The air around them shimmered, then stilled. Where before there had been nothing but grass, a veritable village of orange and black tents appeared. The mountain, which had looked kilometers away seconds before, was now mere meters away, looming protectively over the camp. There were people milling about too, and they all called out greetings when they saw Suga and Daichi, but nobody came over, which Daichi was grateful for. No one, that is, except for the orange-haired boy from before, who came skipping over excitedly as soon as he spotted them._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________“What happened?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________“Long story.” Suga said tiredly. “I’ll call a meeting later to explain. Right now, he needs to eat and rest. Could you-”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________Whatever Suga had been about to say went unheard, because at that moment, there was the sound of something shattering behind them. It was followed by an incredulous, but very familiar voice saying:_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________“Daichi!?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _


	2. Give Suga a Fucking Break

Suga was of the opinion that going into the forest only ever caused problems.

Of course, it wasn't like that stopped him. But it wasn't his fault that everything of importance was either in the forest or through it, and things had to get done somehow. 

One day, he would learn to just ignore whatever not-his-problem things he encountered while he was out there. But Suga was a class 10 meddler, and his efforts were not yielding great results, as evidenced by the human standing beside him. That, and the completely separate issue currently unconscious (hopefully) in his tent. But that was a problem for later. 

Right now, his focus was getting Daichi somewhere safe and _quiet _, where he could rest and recover. Daichi had just had the weirdest day of his life, and Suga knew from experience how difficult it could be to deal with.__

__In fact, he was about to send Hinata to find the source of said experience, but before he could, someone dropped something behind them. That was not hugely surprising in and of itself, Karasuno was not exactly known for their stellar track record with breakable stuff, but what was surprising, was that the smashing noise was immediately followed by someone saying Daichi’s name. Which he hadn't told anyone but Suga._ _

__Daichi turned around first, then said in the exact same tone of voice as the first person:_ _

__“Asahi?!”_ _

__For a few seconds, the two men just stared at each other, shell shocked. Then, Daichi took a few steps forward, closed the gap between them, and punched Asahi in the stomach. _Hard _.___ _

____Suga had not expected _that _.___ _ _ _

______Asahi let out a loud “MPH!” and doubled over. He stayed there for a few seconds, then looked meekly up at Daichi. “I probably deserved that,” he wheezed, straightening up gingerly._ _ _ _ _ _

______“ _Three years _, Asahi! No note, no warning, nothing! You were just gone! Who does that?” Daichi paused for a second, taking a breath and regaining his composure. “We- we all thought you were dead.”___ _ _ _ _ _

________Asahi looked guiltily at his feet. “Yeah, I figured as much.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“The portals only got messed up today, right?” Daichi looked over at Suga for confirmation. He nodded. “You could have come home!”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“No, I couldn’t.” Asahi shifted uncomfortably and looked up, uneasily meeting Daichi’s eyes. “I’m from here.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Suddenly, it was Daichi who looked like he’d just been punched in the stomach. “What?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“I was born here.” Asahi looked away and scratched at the back of his head. “There’s uh, a lot of politics involved, but I had to leave when I was a baby. And when I turned eighteen the enchantment they put on me ended, I just kind of appeared here.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“He passed out too, if it makes you feel any better.” Suga cut in, in an effort to lighten the mood._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Daichi ignored him._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“So you could have sent us a letter, or _something _.”___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“I’m really sorry Daichi, but it wasn’t like I could explain, right? Who would have believed me?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________He had a point, but Daichi seemed to angry to care. “You could have at least made something up! I joined the police force because of you, you asshole!”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Asahi looked like he wanted to be _anywhere _except here, and Suga could understand why, but Daichi was going to be staying with them for the foreseeable future and Suga was not going to deal with that kind of negative energy in his camp. Besides, he had his other problem to deal with, and he’d already left that alone for far too long.___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________Suga clapped loudly to get their attention._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“Well! You two clearly have a lot of catching up to do, and I need to go take care of something, so Asahi, why don’t you give Daichi a tour of camp?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________They both looked like they were about to protest, so Suga didn’t give them the chance. He beamed at them, shooting Asahi a threatening look when Daichi wasn’t paying attention. He quailed immediately._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“Great! Have fun boys!”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________He left before either of them could say anything else, disappearing into the maze of tents and making his way as quickly as possible to his own tent, which doubled as the infirmary. It was sandwiched between the mountain, (a strategic decision so that anyone trying to attack had to go through the entire rest of camp to get to the infirmary) and the training arena (where most of the camps injuries occured)._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________Suga quite liked his tent, for all that it was really much too small for the purpose it served and the area around it was always far too loud. It was homey, and it was _his _, and that was what mattered.___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________It was divided in two, although the division was more of an honour-system based than an actual barrier._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________One side was Suga's personal area, with his bed, his clothes, and a few personal items all neatly organized to take up as little room as possible.  
The much larger portion of the tent was the actual infirmary side. It contained a bookshelf against one wall, filled with various salves, potions, bandages, medicines and other tools he might need, along with a few actual books, mostly pertaining to healing. The opposite wall was nearly hidden by a veritable forest of assorted plants of varying sizes, most of which were dead. Seeing them made Suga's stomach twist uncomfortably, remembering the patch of dead grass out in the field. He hadn't had a slip-up like that in… years, at least. He'd have to be more careful. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________Wedged between the shelf and the plants was a cot, where he put patients with more serious injuries, or illnesses that required them to stay for extended periods of time._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________Suga didn't often get overnight patients, which was a good thing, because he only had the one extra cot, and it had been occupied for the past week, by someone who was _definitely _not supposed to be there.  
Suga was somewhat infamous for his habit of picking up strays, and this wasn't usually a problem. Karasuno was always looking for new members, and Suga was a good enough judge of character that his recruits went, for the most part, unquestioned. But he was pushing it a bit with this one, and he knew that. Which was why he'd gone to such lengths to keep it a secret.___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________He hadn't even originally planned to bring this particular case back to camp. When Suga had found him, the boy had been impaled on a sword in the woods, stuck clean through the stomach. He had absolutely _reeked _of demonic magic, and Suga had assumed that's why he'd been killed like he had.  
Still, it hadn't seemed fair to leave the body out like that. This had been a person, before some demonic spirit took over. He figured he could call some of the others down to help him at the very least give the boy a proper burial. But as soon as Suga had touched the sword to pull it out, the boy's eyes had flown open, dark blue and definitely more human than demon. He had locked eyes with Suga and said one word: “Please.” There had been so much pain in his eyes, and so much desperation in his voice. Suga hadn't been able to leave him there.___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________He wasn't sure if “Please” meant “please kill me” or “please help me” but Suga was going for the latter. He said a quiet “sorry” and pulled out the sword, wincing at the scream of pain it drew from the boy. Blood the colour of ink was spreading in a pool from the wound, which was even worse than Suga had originally thought. He could see through it to the ground underneath. Suga was not squeamish, he couldn't afford to be, not in his line of work, but he had to suppress the urge to vomit._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________It was a miracle that the boy was still alive, although he'd fainted the second the sword was removed. Suga didn't have time to get him back to camp, not with how fast the pool was growing. Suga took a deep breath and knelt down next to the boy, putting one hand on his wound and one on a nearby tree. He tried to avoid doing this when he could, but desperate times called for desperate measures. He concentrated, watching as his hands started to glow, and feeling the comfortable warmth of magic flowing out of him. Suga tried to focus on the shrinking wound, rather than the tree shrivelling and drying out beside him, but all too soon the glow faded, and he knew he'd done all he could. The tree was creaking ominously, and Suga knew he had to get them both out of there before it collapsed on them. The boy was taller than him, which was going to make this difficult, especially since the wound wasn't fully healed. He was tempted to get someone to help, but he didn't have the time or energy to argue to be allowed to bring a demon (?) into camp. So he hooked his hands under the boy's armpits and dragged him, rather unceremoniously, back to the infirmary, thanking every god he could think of that he didn't run into anyone._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________After Suga had managed to get him back, he’d cleaned out what was left of the injury, and gotten the remaining blood off of the boy (who Suga had nicknamed “Akuma” for the time being, just so he had something to call him) and bandaged the wound._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________After that, not much had changed. Akuma hadn’t woken up since the sword was removed, but he was still breathing, and the wound was slowly healing itself. Suga’s biggest worry was someone finding him, whether by walking in uninvited, (he hadn’t realized how often that happened until he had something to hide) or worse, someone getting injured and needing the cot. It was a wonder it hadn’t happened yet, but Suga knew he wasn’t lucky enough to hope for things to stay that way._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________Right now, Suga wanted nothing more than to collapse on his own cot and sleep for the next month, but he knew that wasn’t an option._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________He’d been making up excuses to stay near his tent for the past week, thanking the gods everyday that all of his cohorts were either too oblivious to notice, too lazy to care, or too nervous to ask any questions, so he could make sure he was there when Akuma woke up. He’d likely be confused, and confused people have an awful habit of going to look for answers, and that would get Suga caught. Or, if Suga was _really _unlucky, he was wrong, Akuma was still a demon, and he’d slaughter the entire camp.___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________Why had he done this again?_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________Suga sighed, rubbed his eyes, and walked over to the cot to start the daily ritual of changing Akuma’s bandages.  
Quite honestly, he had no idea why Akuma was still unconscious. The wound was healing nicely, and very quickly, which Suga appreciated. After the initial chaos, he’d only had to use disinfectants and some healing salves, no magic. He finished unwrapping the bandages, noting that only a large black scab remained from the ordeal. Realistically, Suga could probably stop bandaging it, but it was dead giveaway if anyone were to walk in and see it. Admittedly, so was the lingering smell of demon magic, but at least two people in the camp wouldn’t be able to sense that, so Suga figured it was worth the effort._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________He walked the two steps to the shelf and pulled out another roll of bandages, then turned back to the cot. He’d just propped Akuma up so he could re-apply them when his eyes snapped open, and Suga flew backwards into the wall, pinned by an invisible force against his throat._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________Suga’s first reaction was “fuck shit fuck he’s still a demon and I fucked up” but Akuma’s eyes, while somewhat murderous, were still blue, not the solid black of a demon. Suga didn’t have time to consider how the hell that had happened, given that he was, you know, asphyxiating, but even his oxygen deprived brain could tell that something about that was wrong._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________Suga managed to wheeze out a fairly desperate “Please put me down.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________To his shock, it worked. The pressure vanished, and he dropped to the ground, landing gracefully on his ass with an undignified yelp._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________Akuma was still staring at him, and Suga noticed that the magical effort had reopened the wound on his torso, which was now dripping black blood onto the cot’s white sheets.  
He got to his feet and took a step towards Akuma, who shifted back, pressing against the wall with fear on his face. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________“I’m not going to hurt you,” Suga said gently. “I healed you, in the woods. Do you remember?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________Akuma nodded vigorously, then winced as the movement pulled more blood from the wound. He glanced down at it, seeming almost shocked to find it there._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________“I have bandages for that, if you want.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________Akuma nodded again, so Suga picked up the dropped bandages and approached him cautiously, wrapping the bandages as quickly as he could without hurting him, then backed up to a safe distance. Okay. Suga hadn’t actually planned this far ahead, and he had no idea what to do, but he felt that letting Akuma know that was a bad idea._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________“What’s your name?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________Akuma looked confused for a second, then closed his eyes and scrunched up his face, like he was trying to remember something._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________“Kageyama Tobio,” he said slowly, like he was testing it out. “Kageyama Tobio,” he repeated, sounding more sure of it the second time._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________“Alright Kageyama. I’m Suga. What do you remember?” It was a pretty general question, but Suga didn’t know how long Kageyama had been possessed for._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________“I… I don’t know.” Kageyama sounded troubled, and pressed on his ears, like he was trying to block out an annoying noise. “I don’t remember anything before you and the woods and the pain and-” he stopped, pressing harder, “I know that I should, but I _don’t _, and it hurts.”___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________“The cut?” Suga asked, taking a step forward, almost involuntarily._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________“No!” Kageyama snapped, sounding more frustrated than angry. “My chest, and my head.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________Suga looked at Kageyama in confusion, trying to figure out what that meant. There were very few documented cases of the aftermath of demon possession, mostly because the only surefire way to get rid of a demon was to kill the host. Suga hadn’t done that, and yet, Kageyama was here, seemingly un-demonified._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________“It’s like there’s a voice.” Kageyama said, snapping Suga out of his musings, “and it’s telling me to be confused and to hurt and I don’t know why.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________It didn’t really make much sense, but what it sounded like to Suga a very strange and confused description of emotions. He really didn’t know how to _explain _that to some poor kid who clearly didn’t know what was going on. Nearly fatal sword wounds he could handle, but this was beyond him.___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________________Thankfully, he knew someone who specialized in this exact thing (almost) and they weren’t affiliated with Karasuno. Also, they owed him a favour._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________________Suga set his jaw grimly. Quite frankly, he hated this idea. But it was all he had, and his best chance at helping Kageyama, so it would have to do._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________________“Alright,” he said, as calmly and with as much authority as he could muster, “let’s get you dressed. I think I know someone who can help you.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _


	3. Someone Help This Poor Boy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ARE YOU HAPPY NOW HOPE

If you had asked Asahi what he was going to do that afternoon, he would have said helping Shimizu out in the kitchen, maybe some training with Noya and the Tanakas. Giving a tour of camp to his childhood best friend who he hasn't seen in three years and who he thought was in a different world was not anywhere on his list.

And yet, here he was. 

Daichi was still glaring at him, Suga had vanished, and his palms were starting to sweat. Asahi let the awkward silence sit as long as he could, then asked sheepishly,

“Um, is there anything you’d like to see?” 

“Why not tell me when we were kids?!” Daichi exploded. Clearly, he’d been thinking about this.

“I didn’t know either!” Asahi said quickly. “I just kind of,” he gestured vaguely at the area around him while he came up with the right words, “ _appeared _here, and I didn’t know what had happened!” he was babbling now, and he knew he should stop, but he couldn’t. “And then I passed out, and I woke up to some guy telling me that I was not only from somewhere I had never heard of, I was a, a freaking _prince _-”____

____“Wait, what?”_ _ _ _

____“-and no one _explained _anything to me while I was on Earth so I just thought I was normal, but no one _here _knew that I didn’t know anything so they kept talking to me like I did, and then I was in a stress coma for a few days and by the time I woke up and got used to everything, I just… I didn’t want to worry you, or anyone, but I just didn’t know how to explain anything and I’m really, really sorry.” Asahi finally managed to stop himself, and took a deep breath, trying to slow his heartbeat back to something reasonable._____ _ _ _

________He looked at Daichi, who was gaping at him, mouth slightly open._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Asahi hunched his shoulders and looked at the ground. “And if you still hate me I get it. I can find someone else to show you around.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Asahi was surprised by a sudden bone crushing pressure around his torso, which he realized somewhat belatedly was Daichi hugging him._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“I could never hate you, you giant doofus.” Daichi said, voice slightly muffled by Asahi’s shirt. “I just missed you. I thought I’d never get to see you again.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Asahi slowly hugged Daichi back, still trying to process the sudden change. He kind of wanted to cry, but he didn’t really want to start off with an emotional breakdown. “I missed you too.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Daichi pushed him away, wiping under his eyes. Asahi politely pretended he hadn’t seen. “You’d fucking better have.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________They both laughed, and it was so familiar, so easy, Asahi felt more tears threatening to spill over._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“What do you want to see first?” He asked quickly, hoping to divert the conversation before that could actually happen._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“Nothing too weird, please. I still have a headache from talking to the portal guy.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Asahi winced sympathetically. “Yeah, Tendou has that effect. I’ll show you the kitchens first.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________The kitchen was fairly normal. The person in charge was not, but given that Asahi was the most human one in the camp, Daichi was going to have to adjust to that eventually. At least she wasn’t as loud as the others._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Asahi started off in that direction, Daichi falling into step beside him. They walked in comfortable silence for a few minutes, before Daichi broke it with a casual:_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“So…”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Asahi’s stomach dropped. He knew that “so”. It was meant to lull Asahi into a false sense of security, but now it just made him more anxious._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________He looked over at Daichi, who had the same shit-eating grin on his face that always accompanied the “so”._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“A prince, huh?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Asahi groaned. He should have seen this coming. “Look, they overthrew the monarchy twenty years ago, it doesn’t matter anymore.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“Sorry, Your Majesty.” Daichi said, grin widening._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Asahi felt his cheeks start to go hot. “I got thrown out of my birth dimension because of this, Daichi.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“My apologies, Your Eminence.” Daichi bowed deeply, but Asahi could still see his shoulders shaking with silent laughter. “Forgive me?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Asahi was sure his whole face was red now. “I could just leave you to find your own way around, you know!”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“Have I offended you, Your Grace?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Asahi, not for the first time, wished he was stronger willed. Then he could just walk away. Instead, he flushed to the roots of his hair and mumbled something about having Daichi beheaded, which just made him laugh harder. Asahi picked up the pace, forcing Daichi to jog to keep up with him. It was a petty victory at best, but it made Asahi feel better._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________The kitchen was a large orange tent, manned by the world’s most patient siren._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Shimizu was a blessing, and Asahi still wasn’t sure how Karasuno, the most chaotic place he’d ever set foot in, had managed to get her to work there, but he was thankful for it every day._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________He opened the flap, and was met with a faceful of steam. At the very least, he could blame his still-red face on that._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“Shimizu?” He called hesitantly. “We have a newcomer. Do you mind if we come in?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_________**Not at all.**_________

********

********

__________“What was that?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Asahi looked over at Daichi, who was looking around confusedly and rubbing his ears. Asahi had forgotten how weird talking to Shimizu had been when he’d first met her, and was now kind of regretting bringing Daichi here first._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“Shimizu.” Asahi said, semi-uselessly. “She’s a siren, and to make sure she doesn’t her powers by accident she uh, “talks” straight into your head.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Daichi gave him a look. “This is the most normal thing here?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Asahi laughed awkwardly. “Yeah?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“Great.” Daichi muttered sarcastically. “Let’s go.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Asahi was glad Daichi was braver than he was. He honestly wasn’t sure how everyone had managed to deal with him when he’d first arrived. It had been something of a disaster._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Daichi stepped inside, Asahi following close behind. There was a large pot hanging over a fire in the middle of the tent, which seemed to be the source of the steam. Shimizu was on the opposite side of the pot, with her back to them, bent over a cutting board. She turned around when she heard them come in, and gave Daichi a small smile._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

___________**The newcomer, I presume? ******___________

********

********

____________Daichi’s mouth was hanging open, and he seemed to have forgotten how to speak, which was a pretty standard reaction to meeting Shimizu for the first time. Asahi kicked him lightly in the back of the leg to jumpstart his brain. It seemed to work._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“I am, he, yes. Sa- Daichi.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________Shimizu smiled again._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_____________**Nice to meet you, Daichi. Welcome to Karasuno. ** __****_____________

********

********

______________She turned around and went back to work. Daichi still looked kind of dazed, so Asahi took him by the shoulders and steered him out, calling a quick “thank you” to Shimizu over his shoulder._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________Once they got outside, Daichi seemed to have regained his mental faculties. “Holy shit. She- wow.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________Asahi suppressed a laugh. “You’ll get used to it.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________“I acted like an idiot, didn’t I?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________“Yep. She’s used to it though, don’t worry too much.” Meeting Shimizu is actually what had caused Asahi to lapse into his second anxiety coma, but Daichi didn’t need to know that just yet._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________Daichi still kind of looked like he wanted to die. “Can we please go see something else?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________“Sure.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________An hour later, Asahi had shown Daichi the basic layout of the camp, the centre with the kitchen and common area, the personal tents that surrounded it, the bathrooms, the infirmary/Suga’s tent, everything he could think of, except for one thing he’d been avoiding._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________“What’s behind that door? We’ve passed it like three times.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________Asahi wasn’t sure why he’d thought he could avoid this without Daichi noticing. Floating double doors in the middle of seemingly nowhere were something of an eye-catcher._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________“The training arena.” Asahi said, trying to sound dismissive. It mostly came out as squeaky._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________“Can we see it?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________Asahi desperately scrambled for a reason not to show it to Daichi other than “my crush might be in there and I don’t think I can handle that if you’re there.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________“I mean, if you still want to avoid weirdness, this can probably wait until you’ve slept.” He said, pleasantly surprised with how smoothly that had gone._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________Daichi looked unsure, so Asahi pulled out something of a dirty trick, but he was desperate._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________“Besides, Suga will probably want to be there when you see it for the first time.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________Daichi looked at him strangely, and Asahi briefly wondered if he’d somehow made things worse, but Daichi just shook his head._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________“I guess I can live with the curiosity for a day.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________Asahi could have sobbed with relief, but he tried to keep it on the inside, for the sake of his pride (what little there was)._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________“Alright. Dinner’s probably ready by now, if you want to do that instead?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________Daichi brightened immediately. “Hell yes.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________Asahi smiled. “Let’s go then.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________***_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________Suga knocked on the door of the small cottage, praying to every god he could think of that at least one of them was home._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________Surprisingly, smuggling Kageyama out of camp had been fairly easy, at least compared to finding him clothes. He was currently dressed in the pants he’d been wearing when Suga found him, and one of Suga’s old shirts, which was way too tight and short on him. He was also barefoot, because Suga owned exactly one pair of boots, and someone would definitely notice if he just stopped wearing shoes for no apparent reason. He wasn’t quite eccentric enough to get away with that._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________The door opened right as Suga was starting to get worried, revealing an unnaturally pretty man with dark wavy hair, looking down at Suga with an expression of mild distaste._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________“Hey Akaashi!” Suga said, as cheerfully as he could. “How's the leg?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_______________**No. ** __****_______________

********

********

________________“Come on,” Suga prompted, pulling out his most winning smile, “I haven't even said what I'm here for yet!”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________Akaashi gave him a thoroughly unimpressed look._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_________________**I don't care. That's a demon. ** __****_________________

********

********

__________________Suga looked back at Kageyama, who seemed to be very confused, probably because to him, it looked like Suga was having a conversation with himself. Akaashi _could _include more than one person when he was “talking”, but apparently he hadn't deemed Kageyama a necessary addition to the conversation.___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________“Actually, he's no longer a demon.” Well, as near as Suga could figure. The wall-slamming trick, black blood, and smell were all very demonic, but the emotions, eyes and confusion were all human. Really, Kageyama was kind of an in-between, but he didn't feel like explaining that to Akaashi would help his case._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________Akaashi raised a skeptical eyebrow at him._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_____________________**And how did you manage that? ** __****_____________________

********

********

______________________Akaashi knew as well as Suga (or, as well as Suga had thought he knew) that demons could only be expelled if the host was killed, and he seemed to be implying that Suga had used some pretty shifty magic to achieve this result. Admittedly, he _had _, but it _wasn’t _the shifty magic that Akaashi was accusing him of, so he decided he was allowed to be insulted._____ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________________“In my defense, it was not technically necromancy, since he wasn't dead yet.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________________Akaashi's other eyebrow climbed up to join its brother, and Suga could feel Kageyama’s shocked expression without even looking over at him. He sighed deeply and buried his face in his hands, then gave a very abridged version of the events that had brought him here, starting with finding Kageyama in the woods, and finishing with “... so I really need Bokuto to help him.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________________Akaashi stared at him in complete silence for a few seconds, looking as shocked as his mostly neutral face was capable of._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

___________________________**I can't believe I thought you were the responsible one. ** __****___________________________

********

********

____________________________Suga was a little offended, but he supposed he deserved that._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________________“Look, I know it’s bad, okay? But he needs help, and Bokuto can help him, so please?” Suga pulled out his best puppy dog eyes, which had never worked on Akaashi, ever, but he figured it was worth a try._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________________Akaashi was quiet for a second, running his eyes over Kageyama like he was calculating something. Kageyama shifted uncomfortably under the scrutiny, but didn’t say anything, which Suga appreciated._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________________Finally, Akaashi sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_____________________________**Fine. But we’re even now. ** __****_____________________________

********

********

______________________________“YES!” Suga said, pumping his fist in the air and pulling Akaashi into a hug, which he seemed very startled by. “Thank you so much.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________________Akaashi gently shoved him off, and the corners of his mouth turned up in the barest hint of a smile. He stepped aside and opened the door a little wider._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_______________________________**Come inside, Tobio. ** __****_______________________________

********

********

________________________________Kageyama looked at Suga for a cue. Suga gestured to the opened door with a smile. “You heard him. I promise they’ll take good care of you.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________________________Kageyama looked from Akaashi to Suga, then back to Akaashi. He bowed ridiculously deeply, and yelled “Thank you very much!” far too loudly._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________________________Akaashi’s smile widened almost imperceptibly._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________________________“I’ll visit whenever I can. And it isn’t permanent. Once he’s gotten used to it, I’ll take him back to Karasuno.” Suga assured, although whether he was reassuring Akaashi, Kageyama, or himself he wasn’t too clear on._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_________________________________**You fuss like a mother dragon. He’ll be fine. Go home, Suga. ** __****_________________________________

********

********

__________________________________“I-” Suga started, before realizing it was pointless to argue, “yeah, okay.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________________________Akaashi gave him a final, tiny smile, and closed the door, leaving Suga to walk home alone, marvelling at just how much shit he’d gotten himself into._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _


End file.
